DIY Medicine Cabinet

I’ve recently finished renovating my bathroom. One element of the room I’m really proud of is the DIY medicine cabinet! We made it ourselves, but honestly, never finished the inside. So I thought I’d show how to create one. Plus this will give me the motivation to finish up the inside!

Let’s talk about medicine cabinets. For awhile, it seemed like they were out of style. I think they felt old fashioned and usually the store bought ones are pretty ugly. But the reality is that medicine cabinets are the best storage because they are at eye level! Perfect for everyday use items. So I’m making my own so it’s cute and functional.

DIY Medicine Cabinet

Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:

If the video doesn’t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. It’d mean so much if you’d watch the video! I’m trying to get better at my video skills so I can grow my YouTube channel. If you have a few minutes to watch this and/or subscribe, I’d so appreciate it.

SUPPLIES

Tools

step 1- prep

Start by deciding on the size and design of the medicine cabinet. Ideally, this will be done when doing a bathroom renovation and the studs can be framed to later hold the medicine cabinet. If working with existing studs, measure to see how much room there is for the cabinet.

A really important step before beginning is finding a mirror that’ll work for the size of medicine cabinet that’ll be created. As a good rule of thumb, a mirror should be 2-4″ bigger than the medicine cabinet.

Other criteria when selecting a mirror- it should be flat on the sides. Why? the mirror will be flush with the wall and then will open on hinges, so if there’s decoration sticking out on the side, it won’t open.

Also select something with a wood frame that can accommodate the screws for the hinges. If there’s no wood frame, I’ll be hard or impossible to install. I’ve seen people just screw into the backing on a mirror to make a DIY medicine cabinet and then crack the mirror, so don’t do that.

For us, I needed a very petite mirror to fit between two sconces and still be centered on the bathroom faucet (17″ wide). I couldn’t find a mirror I liked, so I found a picture frame from the antique shop that’s decorative and pretty in the right size. Any frame can have a mirror added (though that is an extra step- using an existing mirror will be simpler).

Note, most mirrors I found while out shopping are 24″ wide, so if you can fit that width, there will be a lot more options.

Once the mirror size is determined, the wall can be framed to accommodate the future medicine cabinet.

step 2- cut wood

Next, use a miter saw to cut the wood pieces to make the inset frame that creates the medicine cabinet. For this project, sides, top, bottom, back, and shelves are needed.

For the frame, I suggest to miter the corners. Make sure the outside of the frame is either the same size as the inside of the framed in wall opening or a tiny bit smaller.

To create the frame, we cut 2 pieces that are 14-1/8″ long for the top and bottom. Then we cut two pieces that are 21-5/8″ long for the sides.

Cut the MDF that’ll go on the back of the medicine cabinet. Use a table saw to cut that wood down. We cut ours to 14-1/8″ x 21-5/8″.

Next, cut the shelves. For this cut, go straight down the board for a 90 degree angle. We cut ours 12-5/8″ long. Since the boards are 3/4″ wide, we took the length (14-1/8″) and subtracted 3/4″ twice to account for the width of the sides to get the 12-5/8″ measurement for the shelf.

The boards we’re using to make the frame are 5-5/8″ deep. For our wall, that’s a little too deep. Take the boards to the table saw and cut them down so when the frame is in the wall, it’ll be flush with drywall. For us, that measurement is 5-3/8″.

Finally, cut wood for the backing on the cabinet frame.

step 3- assemble cabinet frame

And now, put the wood pieces for the frame together and assemble them.

Clamp the corner together and use screws to attach the four pieces of the frame together into a rectangle.

Use a counter sink drill bit to make a hole. Then, add a screw with the drill where the hole was made.

Repeat for 3 times on each corner.

Test the frame to make sure it fits in the wall.

It’s best to do the test now before adding in the shelf and backing. If it doesn’t fit, it’s less work to alter it now.

Put the shelf in place. The fun part of this project is you can customize it! Mine is going 10-1/2″ up to perfectly make space for my toothbrush. Clamp the shelf in the desired position. This will create a bottom and top shelf. Before deciding on the shelf height I choose everything that’ll be in my medicine cabinet and laid it out to see what will fit where.

Use 2 screws (per side) to hold the shelf in place.

Screw an MDF board onto the back of the medicine cabinet. This is the back panel that’ll be seen in the back of the medicine cabinet. This can later be painted or wallpapered.

Use screws to attach the backing onto the cabinet frame.

Last, put the medicine cabinet inside the wall.

Use screws to hold it in place.

step 4- mirror backing and painting

Now, that the cabinet insert is created, it needs a door with the mirror from step one added to the front.

I sent my picture frame to the mirror shop in my town and they added a mirror plus put silicone in to hold it in place.

To add extra stability to the frame and to make it prettier, we cut a piece of wood to fit on the back of the frame (17″ wide by 23″ tall). For attaching it, I used construction adhesive.

The sides of the wood I cut for the mirror backing are a little rough, so I’m using wood filler to smooth them out.

I’m also putting books on top of the frame so that the glue properly adheres and holds the backing on. Once the wood filler is dry, use a finger sander to smooth it down.

Next, I’m wanting to paint the mirror. So I’m using painter’s tape to cover up the mirror so I don’t mess it up with paint. Two notes- I should have painted it before adding the backing (because I got paint on it when I didn’t want it painted). And second note, if you pick a mirror you love it’ll really simplify this project- lol.

Then, I took the mirror outside and painted it white. I also painted the sconces and bow appliqué that I’ll be adding to the frame later so they’ll all match.

I wanted to highlight some of the pretty detail in the frame. So I used my favorite spray hack- I sprayed pink spray paint onto a plastic lid and quickly used a paint brush to paint the flowers on the frame. I repeated with gold for some of the detail.

Note, this will ruin the paint brush so I like to use an old crappy one that I won’t feel too sad to dispose of.

step 5- attach the mirror to the cabinet

Once the mirror paint is dry, attach the hinges to one side the back of the mirror or door. Put the hinges in the desired place, drill holes for it, and then attach the screws onto the backing of the mirror. Make sure the screws aren’t too long that they’ll poke through the frame.

Next, hold the mirror up to the framed out cabinet (it’s best to do this step with two people). Use a laser level so it’ll be held up straight. Mark where the holes on the hinge meet up to the wall. Drill pilot holes into the wall studs and then use screws to attach the hinge to the wall. The DIY medicine cabinet door is up!

And now, it’s important to install a magnetic catch on the opposite side to keep the door closed securely. Attach one side of the magnet onto the wall and one side onto the backing of the frame.

Check the functionality of the door and make any necessary adjustments.

At this point, I attached my bow appliqué to the top of the frame mirror.

step 6- finish work

After the installation of the magnet, I changed my mind of the wallpaper. So I switched that out- I didn’t want confusion why these pictures will look different than the last ones.

To finish the inside of the medicine cabinet, apply wood filler over all the screw holes. When dry, sand the wood filler smooth.

Stain the frame and shelf. I used the color Special Walnut.

Wallpaper the back of the medicine cabinet frame. I’m using my rainbow stripe wallpaper.

I’m also adding a wallpaper border around the edges for a silly little touch.

Finally, fill the new medicine cabinet with essentials like a tooth brush, tooth paste, contact solution, etc. and enjoy the final product!

after

And here is the finished medicine cabinet. Isn’t the inside such a fun surprise! It feels so special!

This is definitely not a run of the mill, store bought looking medicine cabinet. I wanted something special and by going custom, I was able to do that!

I wanted to add in the scallop wallpaper because I accidentally got some stain on the edges of my wallpaper. Also, I think it makes it look more finished. I originally wanted to do some trim, but with the mirror there wasn’t much clearance for trim. So this is a great solution!

price breakdown

I thought I’d break down the price for how much this project cost-

Wood for the Frame– had on hand
Hinges $8
Magnet $6
Wood for Back Panels– had on hand
Screws- had on hand
Construction Adhesive– had on hand
Wood Filler– had on hand
Wood Stain- Special Walnut– had on hand
Bow Applique- had on hand
Rainbow Stripe Wallpaper– had on hand
Mini Scallop Wallpaper– had on hand

I don’t know how helpful these prices were because I already owned pretty much everything. I spent $14 on supplies to make the medicine cabinet. The frame cost $55 and the mirror cost me $35. Grand total- $104.

In conclusion, I’m super happy with how the DIY medicine cabinet turned out! To be honest, I had to force myself to finish the inside of the medicine cabinet. After doing the whole renovation, I’m a little tired of projects. But it is SO nice to open the door and see the sweetest scene! The color and details make me smile. Let me know what you think in the comments!